


she lives in daydreams with me

by beneaththemask125



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Edelthea Week, Eventual Smut, F/F, Femslash February, Friends to Lovers, Masturbation, Minor Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Romance, Undressing, a collection of kisses, soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:06:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22540687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beneaththemask125/pseuds/beneaththemask125
Summary: Edelgard never knew how to describe their relationship, as it certainly didn’t fit into any natural borders. They had kissed countless times, but nothing more than that. They had whispered sweet nothings in the darkest parts of the night, but have never confessed love. Edelgard trusted her more than anyone in the world, desired her more than anything. Their relationship laid undefined as the war raged on, fully knowing that any day they could die and it would all be for naught. But Edelgard would be lying if she didn’t admit that there was nothing she wanted more than for Dorothea to claim her, publicly and privately. Edelgard wanted to be hers, and hers alone.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Edelgard von Hresvelg, Edelgard von Hresvelg & Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 39
Kudos: 162





	1. night shift

**Author's Note:**

> Edelgard finds Dorothea during a late night studying session
> 
> Day 1 Prompt - Fun / Studying or Training

Edelgard could hear the scratching of pen against parchment as she ambled through the darkened library. All the grand chandeliers and sconces that once adorned the room had long been looted, and the books, which thieves must have seen as useless, were covered in layers of dust. Edelgard had many fond memories here. She remembers when Caspar and Ferdinand used to have competitions of who could carry the most books to their studying table. The corner she walks past was Lysithea’s favorite study spot, and Edelgard remembers silently dropping off sweets while the younger girl napped on top of her notes. The broken ladder on the ground she stepped over led to the romance novels on the higher shelves, which Bernadetta used to deny reading, despite Edelgard often spotting her swaying precariously on the ladder at random times during the night. Those days were good, filled with light and laughter, and it helped hide the pain Edelgard felt every time she remembered that she would have to betray her friends when the time came. She just never would have imagined that they would chose to be with her after her deceit. It had been almost two years since that fateful night, and Edelgard still couldn’t understand why her friends joined her on her path.

With a lantern in hand and a blood red cloak wrapped tightly around her, protecting her from the cold winter night, the emperor made her way deeper into the library to the spot she suspected the suspicious scratching noise originated from. She moved silently, but purposefully, the cloak billowing out behind her like crow’s wings.

“No, that’s not right! If the enemy mages are approaching the left flank, the heavy armour unit will be destroyed. But how do we quickly move them without being decimated?”

Edelgard heard the frustrated grumbles before she could see the frazzled woman who was scratching furiously at her paper. She looked nothing like the charismatic songstress Edelgard remembered charming her way through exams and making everything look effortless. She was still just as beautiful, but pain and sadness had overtaken the innocent twinkle in her eye. Those days seemed like an illusion now. Edelgard didn’t want to spook the other woman, so she approached slowly and announced her presence with a soft voice.

“Dorothea.”

The brown-haired woman looked up, the surprise on her face quickly fading to a soft smile when she realized who her midnight visitor was. Her eyes looked tired, but the kindness of her expression never failed to shine through. Edelgard never wanted her to lose that kindness.

“Oh my. To what do I owe the pleasure of a midnight meeting with her majesty herself?” The teasing in her voice barely covered up the frustration Edelgard had heard only moments before. This was Dorothea’s mask. Unlike Edelgard’s stoic silence, Dorothea protected herself with easy smiles and flirtatious remarks. Edelgard didn’t mind the taller woman’s defense mechanisms, for no one knew more than herself that the world was cruel and a woman had to learn how to protect herself. She just wished that Dorothea wouldn’t feel the need to hide herself in front of her. She would never think the other woman weak, no matter how many tears were shed or sobs rang out. But Edelgard would be a hypocrite if she asked Dorothea to show herself while Edelgard kept her own walls higher than the towers of Enbarr.

“It’s my duty as emperor to make sure all my generals have a proper amount of sustenance and rest. When Hubert remarked that he had not seen you return to your chambers, I took it upon myself to check on you.”

“And Hubie let his beloved emperor walk around a dangerous monastery at night all alone?”

Edelgard let out a small laugh at the expense of her living shadow.

“I told him that he would better spend his time checking on Bernedetta’s injuries from our last battle.”

“Always the caring leader.”

“I do what I must.”

Edelgard stepped closer to the woman, peering down at the notes on the desk in front of her. Dorothea hummed, a small hint of her embarrassment at Edelgard’s discovery of her late-night studying.

“War strategies?” The emperor quirked her eyebrow. Usually Dorothea spent more time reading historical romances and old plays than worrying about the boring strategy books that nobles pretended to find interesting.

Dorothea dipped her head down in shame.

“I thought it would be productive to learn more strategy so I could be better use to you. Especially since…”

“Since what?” Edelgard’s voice was gentle but strong.

“It was my fault that Bernie and Shamir got hurt last time. I mismanaged the archer unit and let the Alliance soldiers come too close.”

“Dorothea, that was hardly your fault. Lord Gloucester trained his soldiers well. Even seasoned general would have had difficulties.”

“Still Edie, I just… I’m not sure if I have it in me. You all were taught these things from birth, ready to carry on your family titles. While I… I learned how to scrounge for food and keep lice at bay.”

Edelgard realized that Dorothea’s unease was the result of much more than her perceived failure at their last battle. Her confidence, once so blinding that even Edelgard felt jealous of the songstresses’ self-assurance, had been broken by this war. Her war.

Edelgard moved to the empty chair beside Dorothea, wanting to comfort the woman but not knowing exactly how to.

“I made you a general because I trust you above anyone else.” She spoke gently, holding back her natural sternness. This was not time to be the emperor, but rather to be a friend. When Dorothea didn’t respond, she continued.

“I never have wanted to surround myself with advisors who all were bred in the same environment and will simply parrot whatever I say back to me. That is how my family ruled for centuries, and that is why my father was so easily overthrown. I need people who will argue for their beliefs, challenge me, and show me a new perspective.”

Edelgard took a steadying breathe before continuing.

“But this is not all you do for me, Dorothea. It is rather selfish of me…but having you by my side reminds me of life outside this war. Without you, I would be easily consumed.”

Dorothea looked at her with curious eyes, searching for further meaning behind Edelgard’s words.

“I still don’t know if I’m cut out for all this, Edie. But hearing you say that makes me want to work harder to stay by your side.”

“Trying is the first step, they say.”

"I'll try anything for you."

Edelgard rubbed her neck, touched by Dorothea’s words but frustrated at herself for not being able to form the words to tell Dorothea how important she was to her. So, she tried to use action instead.

The only sign of Dorothea’s shock was a soft puff of air that escaped her lips when Edelgard covered her bare hand with her own silk covered fingers. Edelgard moved so she was leaning over Dorothea’s shoulder, guiding the pen in Dorothea’s hand with her own. The warmth radiating from the girl in front of her was intoxicating and Edelgard couldn’t help but move closer.

“If the mages decide to come through the trees, it’s better to move the armoured units further back while bringing in the cavalry on both sides like this.” Edelgard sketched out the diagram with Dorothea’s hand, trying her best to ignore the rose perfume wafting into her nose from Dorothea’s mussed curls. It was a scent she associated with comfort and relaxation, evoking memories of idle days laying under the trees with the songstress, chatting about everything and nothing at all. The briefest touch of their fingers used to send shocks straight to her heart, and the princess did all she could to tamp them down despite the urge to chase the feeling forever.

“Ah, I see. How about this instead?” Dorothea neither commented on Edelgard’s closeness nor drew away from her intimate touches. It felt natural and unforced, so unlike the unwanted touches from suitors that followed her since adolescence. She drew new diagrams under the watchful gaze of the emperor. Dorothea could feel the back of her neck heat up from Edelgard’s attention, like a leaf held under a magnifying glass on a sunny day. Minutes went by, overwhelming quickly and painfully slowly at the same time. Edelgard had drawn further back, in an attempt to find a more comfortable position on the rickety old chairs, but her hand had stayed on Dorothea’s wrist, rubbing soft patterns into her wrist as the taller woman continued her studies. An hour had almost passed before their makeshift lesson had completed.

The empress soon nodded her approval at Dorothea’s completed diagrams.

“You are a quick study, Dorothea.” Edelgard squeezed her hand in encouragement before leaning back into her chair.

The light that had been gone from the songstress’s eyes had returned during their lesson, and Edelgard felt satisfied with herself. A good leader was nothing without the people who stood by their side, and their health and happiness was paramount. She also didn’t mind getting to see a peek of the gentle smile that Dorothea seemed to reserve for only her. It was a smile without pretense or pleasantries, and Edelgard slowly realized she would do anything to see it again.

“A student is only as good as their teacher.” Dorothea’s eyes were twinkling, a playful note playing along her face as she gently grasped Edelgard’s hands again.

“If you say so, then that is the truth. However, a teacher requires payment in return for their time.” Edelgard found herself teasing back. Dorothea had the uncanny ability of making her feel like a young girl again, letting playful words escape her like a overflowing river.

“Would a kiss be sufficient payment?”

If Edelgard was anyone other than herself, she would have either squeaked in surprise like Bernadetta or asked for unnecessary clarification like Ferdinand. Instead, she held Dorothea’s steady gaze, knowing a challenge when she saw one.

“I am afraid I am not quite well versed in such activities.” Even Edelgard’s formal words were adorable in Dorothea’s eyes.

“They say trying is the first step.”

Edelgard couldn’t help but quirk her lips into a small smile as Dorothea turned her own words onto herself.

Dorothea leaned in, placing one hand on Edelgard’s thigh and her other laying languidly on the emperor’s shoulder. She brought her lips only centimetres from Edelgard’s own, but did not close the distance. Edelgard could feel her breath on her lips, and a deep desire within her stomach flared.

“We can stop if you want.” Dorothea’s green eyes, full of desire, also betrayed her insecurity. Edelgard hated seeing the other woman doubt herself like that and decided to take action once again.

As Edelgard pushed her own anxieties away, she caught Dorothea’s lips in a gentle kiss, unhurried and full of unsaid words. She rested her own hands against Dorothea’s pale neck, cursing herself for leaving her gloves on and not allowing herself to feel the warm skin against her own. Other than a few playful kisses on her cheek from the other Eagles during drunken nights around the fire, Edelgard had never experience this level of intimacy from another person which hadn’t included her body being torn apart and stitched back together. She had spent her whole life avoiding this sort of close contact, but now she realized that it was all that her body had craved. Soft touches full of love and affection. Something she never even imagined for herself but was now wrapping around her like a warm cloak. Dorothea was something special.

The songstress deepened the kiss while she shifted her position, choosing to straddle Edelgard’s lap, her warm thighs bleeding through her silk night gown and warming the emperor’s chilled body. Dorothea worked her way slowly down Edelgard’s neck, leaving small marks of pleasure against her skin before pulling back to admire her hard work.

“You’re a quick study too, Edie.”

“I’ve been told before.”

“Already so cocky? I should have guessed.”

“Cockiness is unfavorable for an emperor. I rather like to think of it as confidence.”

“Uh huh. Sure.” Dorothea’s warm chuckle filled the empty library.

“I think I might be ready for lesson two.”

“Anything for you, Edie.”


	2. i wouldn't ask you to take care of me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dorothea helps bathe Edelgard after a long day
> 
> Day 2 - Nobility / Laity (Commoners)

It had been a long day. A long year, if Dorothea was being honest. But today had been especially difficult. The Black Eagles had trudged back to the monastery from their last mission, covered in rain and mud from the thunderstorm that had overtaken them. When the skies opened up and the deluge began, it seemed like the very goddess was furious at them…which would make sense in a way. They were in low spirits, unhappy from the casualties taken during their mission and the never-ending drudgery of war. It had already been three years since the war had begun, and it felt like they hadn’t moved any further forward. Once their caravan reached the monastery courtyard, each of the Eagles went off to lick their wounds and find rest. Petra, nursing a fresh cut on her cheek, went to see Manuela at the infirmary with Linhardt. Bernadetta and Caspar headed down to the greenhouse to relax among the blooming flowers. Ferdinand made his way to the stables to check on the horses after their long ride. Hubert had been hovering behind Edelgard, whispering worries into her ear before she sent him to help Ferdinand. Dorothea watched with a tired smirk as the dark man gave in to the emperor’s demands and headed towards the stables with a huff. Edelgard, always one to be among her men, was absolutely covered in mud and was busy trying to wipe off her axe before handing it to one of the blacksmiths for repairs. When she noticed Dorothea watching her from across the courtyard, she beckoned the older woman with a slight wave.

“See something interesting?” Edelgard said in her most serious tone, but Dorothea could always sense the teasing beneath her stern face.

“It not every day that you get to see the emperor’s priceless silks covered in grime. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a curious sight.”

“Silk can be replaced, but the morale of our troops cannot. A true emperor shouldn’t be afraid of getting dirty.” The woman’s expression was resolute, and Dorothea knew she was being completely serious. But she couldn’t ignore the cute line of mud that trailed from the emperor’s ear to her jaw. Absentmindedly, Dorothea licked her thumb before wiping the dirt off the woman’s pale cheek. A blush settled itself across the emperor’s face before Dorothea even realized what she had done.

“Some things should be done without an audience.” Edelgard said softly, nodding towards the soldiers near them who immediately stopped their blatant staring after being noticed by their emperor, almost tripping over each other in the process. Dorothea didn’t fault them for their curiosity. Who wouldn’t be flabbergasted by the sight of their brave and terrifying emperor having her face cleaned like a newborn kitten? She giggled at the imagery in her head.

“Then shall we find some privacy?” Dorothea winked before holding her arm out, which Edelgard took happily. Dorothea didn’t even mind the mud that would now stain her dress. Edelgard’s casual touches made up for any dirt she had to scrub out later.

They made their way to Edelgard’s chambers just as the late afternoon sun began to shine through the storm clouds above, illuminating the monastery with orange and pink hues.

Once they passed through the double doors and walked into Edelgard’s bedroom, Dorothea could immediately sense a change in the other woman. Her shoulders, always held high, began to sag under the weight of the day. Her crown, sharp and dangerous, befitting for an emperor at war and becoming a critical part of Edelgard’s persona, leaned forward awkwardly when the younger woman let her neck bow with weariness. She groaned slightly at the pain in her ribs, knowing Dorothea would notice her discomfort but be savvy enough to not chastise Edelgard for not getting Manuela or Linhardt to check on her. The lives of her injured men were more important than a few bruised ribs.

Instead, Dorothea directed Edelgard to her makeup room by the shoulders after giving her a knowing look, sitting her in front of a large mirror. She began the process of removing Edelgard’s crown, pinching a hundred hair pins so the emperor’s long pale locks could be freed. It was a process that was traditionally undertaken by servants, but Edelgard still felt uncomfortable with the intimacy of strangers and would much rather dress and undress herself. However, the emperor did not often have the time or energy, so Hubert and Dorothea had become experts at helping her with her royal attire. They were the only ones she trusted, and their touches were so different; Hubert’s deft and focused precision, Dorothea’s lingering touches and warm fingertips. But behind both of their actions was a certain type of care and attention that Edelgard presumed was rare in life. She was grateful to have them, even if she never knew how to express it.

“Would you like me to draw you a bath, Edie?”

Edelgard let out a deep breath when she felt Dorothea’s careful hands loosen her corset. The pain in her ribs released a bit, but a bath would help even more with the pain. Dorothea was always so attentive.

“Yes, that would be nice.”

While Dorothea fiddled around with the faucets in her bathroom, Edelgard allowed herself to look at the reflection in her mirror. With her hair down, makeup scrubbed off, and with nothing on but her white chemise, she almost looked like a normal young woman. Someone you passed by at the market and didn’t even care to take a second glance of. But with her stark white hair, piercing lavender eyes, and scars that covered most of her arms and torso, she could never truly be normal. She could never be the woman she wanted to be as a little girl. That woman was nothing more than a fading memory.

“Your bath is ready, Edie!” Dorothea called from the other room, interrupting Edelgard’s brief moment of self-pity. She held her side as she made her way to the bathroom, ready to engulf herself in the soothing hot waters. She was greeted by the smell of lavender and the warm sight of Dorothea, sleeves pulled up to her elbows and hair up in a rare ponytail. She looked so… domestic. Edelgard had no other way to describe it, but this all felt right, despite a tiny piece of guilt nagging at her for asking Dorothea to do so much for her while she gave nothing of worth in return.

“I even found those bath oils I bought you a while ago in the cabinet! Don’t tell me that Hubert banned you from even those small pleasures?”

Edelgard chuckled as she removed her chemise, stepping forward in her small clothes. At one time, she would have been too ashamed and shy to stand naked in front of anyone, let alone Dorothea. But those days are long behind her too. She couldn’t afford to feel shameful after the older woman had healed countless life-threatening injuries on her body over the years. Edelgard never knew how to describe their relationship, as it certainly didn’t fit into any natural borders. They had kissed countless times, but nothing more than that. They had whispered sweet nothings in the darkest parts of the night, but have never confessed love. Edelgard trusted her more than anyone in the world, desired her more than anything. Their relationship laid undefined as the war raged on, fully knowing that any day they could die and it would all be for naught. But Edelgard would be lying if she didn’t admit that there was nothing she wanted more than for Dorothea to claim her, publicly and privately. Edelgard wanted to be hers, and hers alone.

“Actually, Hubert encourages me to indulge in small pleasures, as he says it is an important part of keeping myself human. But I chose to save them for special occasions.”

“Is this occasion special enough for her majesty?”

Dorothea’s gaze met hers from across the bathroom.

“Any time spent with you is special.” The admission came out of her mouth before she could stop it, but she didn’t regret it when she saw the blush light up Dorothea’s face. The blush continued to deepen when Edelgard removed her under clothes and stepped into the warm bath water. A part of her felt pleasure at Dorothea’s bashful expression. She had power over an entire empire, but the sway she had over Dorothea’s desiring gaze is what truly fulfilled her. 

Edelgard lay back into the tub and closed her eyes, feeling the stress of the day slowly washing away. She could hear Dorothea fidgeting around with the different bath oils before dragging a chair so she could sit behind Edelgard’s claw footed tub.

The younger woman felt a quick teasing flick on her nose before Dorothea tapped her on the head, wordlessly telling her to move her head up so the other woman could start washing her hair. Edelgard did as instructed and was welcomed with Dorothea’s soft fingers sliding into her hair, gently scraping her scalp with her perfectly manicure nails.

Dorothea paused to take in the moment. The gentle glow of the candles across the counters. The dying sunlight reaching across the white tiled room, its long fingers caressing their bodies. The smell of lavender, which always reminded her of the comfort of Edelgard’s embrace. The emperor’s tranquil, even breathes were the only sounds diffusing through the peaceful silence. Edelgard’s body was half hidden by the bubbles, her soft breasts and raised knees breaking through the calm surface of the water. Dorothea admired her elegant curves like a painting, something so close yet so far from her grasp.

“You should really pursue the healing arts, Dorothea. Your hands are magical.” Edelgard mumbled as Dorothea’s fingers scratched behind her ears, causing a shiver to shoot down her back.

“Manuela tells me that I still haven’t found my faith yet. That’s why I’m so far behind the others in healing.” Dorothea admitted, the irony not lost on her when she thinks about how the key to her healing would be solved by the very church they sought to destroy.

Edelgard hums in thought as Dorothea’s hands trace down her neck in soothing patterns. “Linhardt tells me that one’s faith does not have to reside in religion to become strong enough for healing magic. Perhaps you can find something else you feel faithful to?”

Dorothea sighs, already knowing this from her countless conversations with the healer.

“I’ve tried, really. I’m just not sure I feel so attached to anything anymore. Day after day, misfortune seems to be the only constant.”

She pushes Edelgard’s head down softly so she could rinse the soap out of her long locks, feeling slightly frustrated with herself.

Edelgard’s eyes meet hers as Dorothea looks down upon the half submerged woman, a glint of conviction shining despite her exhaustion.

“I will do anything to help you find your faith again, Dorothea… If you wish so, of course.”

Dorothea was taken by the adoration in Edelgard’s expression. An emperor making a solemn promise to a common girl while naked in the bath was definitely not everyday practice, Dorothea assumed. But she knew Edelgard would keep her word. She had never failed Dorothea before. Edelgard’s affectionate actions were truly the only constant positives in her life now. _Wait… Oh._

She reached forward to bring Edelgard back out of the water, breaking their eye contact as Dorothea tried to hide her blush.

“Finding faith in something might actually be easier than I thought…”

Edelgard hummed in response, either missing Dorothea’s implication or deciding to not respond.

Dorothea reached for the ivory comb on the counter, ready to brush out the knots and curls of the emperor’s long hair. She wondered if Edelgard would ever consider cutting it short. _Perhaps it would make her look too cute to be taken seriously._ The songstress began brushing, enamored by the white locks and how they seemed to shine with every color in the dying sunlight. Edelgard let out small noises of happiness as she brought the comb over her scalp.

“I remember when my mother used to brush my hair in the tub, counting each stroke until my copper hair shined like a penny. My sisters used to bathe with me, and we had so much fun splashing each other and seeing who could hold their breath longest beneath the water.” Edelgard’s voice held strong, but Dorothea could hear the cracks beneath it. She leaned forward to leave a soft kiss on Edelgard’s neck before continuing to brush the long-wet strands of spun silver. She didn’t want to take too much, too soon, but it was hard to resist the ethereal beauty in front of her. So small kisses of comfort would suffice for now.

“They would have loved you, Dorothea. Truly. My mother always admired women with ambition, no matter their class.”

Dorothea’s heart broke as she thought about Edelgard’s family. She couldn’t decide what was more painful; to never have a family in the first place, or to lose the only family you’ve ever known. Either way, Dorothea wished she could have met Edelgard’s family. Maybe they could have bonded over tea, telling Dorothea every scandalous story about little El and her escapades as a child. She would have been able to tell them how wonderful a woman Edelgard was, and how she had capture her heart with nothing more than a piercing look.

“I want to meet them, Edie.” Dorothea knew where they were buried, as Edelgard had spent many times visiting their graves while they were in Enbarr. She just hadn’t been invited to join her yet.

Edelgard paused for a moment, her shoulders tensing before she responded with a sigh.

“That can… that can be arranged.”

Dorothea smiled, leaving a small kiss of thanks on Edelgard’s ear before the younger woman rose from the bathtub.

“You know, some would judge me as a tyrant for having one of my top generals bathe me after a difficult mission.” Edelgard pointed out as she stepped out of the tub, reaching for the towels that Dorothea held. The other woman hummed thoughtfully before answering.

“I never thought I deserved more than this, to be honest. In another world, I would be nothing more than your faceless maid, traded in and out of noble households like chattel property.”

Edelgard felt her anger boil at the thoughts of that other world. A ‘normal world’ as many would call it. She could never imagine Dorothea as nothing less than the most important person in her life.

“Deserving is a false ideology. That is how we got into this mess, with the nobles believing they deserve to rule and the rest deserve to follow. But I can’t help but twist myself into contradictions around you, Dorothea. I believe you deserve the world.”

The emperor stood before her, body half covered by her open robe, eyes burning.

Dorothea was overwhelmed. Part of her wanted to shy away, deny Edelgard’s open declaration of devotion, and wallow in her self-hate. But the other part of her wanted to reach into Edelgard’s robe, push the younger woman against the counter, and show her just how much she felt about her. In the end, she chose the middle position and strode forward, embracing Edelgard in a tight hug. She tried to convey all her unsaid feelings through her touch, grasping onto Edelgard like it was their last night on earth. She didn’t care that the woman’s damp body was leaving water stains along her front. She didn’t care about the thousand rules she was breaking by touching the emperor. She just wanted to be with Edelgard right now in this moment, even though she still wasn’t hers.

“I would do anything for you, Dorothea. I swear it.” Edelgard declared into her shoulder as they embraced.

“As I would for you, Edie.”

“And when this is all over, I will serve you just as you served me. I will no longer be emperor, and we will be equals, just as we were always meant to be.” Dorothea leaned her head back, kissing Edelgard on the forehead.

“I look forward to that day. You owe me a bath.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know im a few days late on these prompts but im having great fun writing each of them! thanks for reading!


	3. [M] the night breeze carries something sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dorothea helps Edelgard on her journey to accepting her own body
> 
> (featuring sex ed teacher Hubert and Black Eagle family moments.)
> 
> (cw for periods, past abuse, body issues, sexual content)
> 
> Day 3- gift/secrets

One morning when she was thirteen, Edelgard had awoken with a scream. When Hubert rushed in, ready to take down any assassins that threatened the princess, he was greeted with the sight of Edelgard trying to quickly cover up her sheets in embarrassment. Without her mother and sisters, Edelgard had never learned about the changes a women’s body undertook, and her uncle had never bothered to have her educated about it. Her body was nothing more than a weapon for him, and Edelgard had simply inhabited it against her will. The more her uncle distanced her from her own body, the more he accomplished his goal. She never felt like it had belonged to her ever since the experiments she was forced to suffer. When she looked in the mirror, she felt like she was staring at a foreign monster.

But the bloodstained sheets beneath her betrayed her humanity, and the girl had trembled as Hubert quickly and quietly changed the linens for her. His cool expression never cracked as he went about her quarters, finding herbs for pain relief and a container for hot water that Edelgard could lay across her stomach after she finished her morning bath.

“While you bathe, shall I fetch some rags for you? I can be discreet.”

Edelgard only nodded, still in shock from the sight of blood. She did not know how Hubert knew what to do, but she trusted him.

“Please, Hubert.”

He bowed before making his way to the door but turned around when he heard Edelgard speak up once again from the bathroom doorway.

“And please don’t tell my uncle.” Her voice was small.

“I wouldn’t even dare to think of it, Lady Edelgard.”

After that incident, Hubert took it upon himself to teach Edelgard things that she was never able to learn from her mother or older siblings. Even at age sixteen, he was wise beyond his years. They would spend mornings learning how to sew. Afternoons were spent pouring over books, with topics ranging from cooking to warfare. In the evenings, they took tea in Edelgard’s chambers, far away from her uncle’s prying eyes (Hubert had made sure of it). Edelgard would ask Hubert questions about anything and everything, as the few years between them often felt like decades due to Hubert’s unending knowledge about the world. She was fourteen now and had so many questions. 

“How did you know, all those months ago, about the reason for my bleeding?”

Hubert’s eyes met her over his teacup as he sipped it silently.

“I try to prepare myself for any challenge you may face, Lady Edelgard.”

“I truly thought I was going to bleed to death that morning.”

“I would have never allowed that to happen.”

Edelgard giggled at his deadly serious expression.

“What other challenges have you prepared yourself for?”

“I aim to fill in the gaps of knowledge that your uncle and the church purposely leave out of your education.”

“Such as?”

“How to tell if your wine has been poisoned. How to make a man tell you all his secrets, with or without force. What to do when your monthly bleeding begins. How to prevent conception.”

If Hubert could blush (Edelgard always wanted to see him do it), he would have at that moment.

“And how does all that work? Conception, I mean.”

Hubert put his tea down, fingers slightly nervous. He had prepared his whole life to kill anyone for Lady Edelgard, to lay his own life down for hers without second thought. But this might be his most difficult task he had ever faced.

“If you ever find a lover,” _that I approve of,_ his eyes told Edelgard, “you might want to become physically intimate. But if your lover is male, you might risk the chance of begetting a child before marriage. Luckily, we have herbs to prevent conception. If you ever need them, I shall get them for you without question, Lady Edelgard.”

Edelgard now felt her own face flushing. She couldn’t even imagine holding someone’s hand, let alone becoming intimate with another. And she had never particularly thought of men like that before. Maybe it was her age or the ordeals she had already faced, but she felt wholly uninterested in becoming intimate with any boys her age. However, to be fair, the only boys she knew well were Hubert and the prime minister’s pompous son Ferdinand, and the thought of either of them like _that_ felt wrong.

“That won’t be necessary, Hubert. But I appreciate you telling me these things. A future emperor shouldn’t be made weak and ignorant by the church.”

“I agree, Lady Edelgard. I shall bring you more books that will help you learn the things that have been withheld from you.”

The books Hubert stole for her were definitely illuminating. She wondered if other noble children her age knew all these things about the human body, or if they still thought that children were a blessing from the goddess. Either way, knowing these things made her body feel slightly less alien to her. Her scars remained, but she began own them, rather than allowing them to own her. When she saw herself naked in the mirror after bathing, she didn’t always cower away. She would never love them, but she gradually began to acknowledge every curve, every scar, and every hair. She learned what hurt and what felt pleasurable. Edelgard slowly learned the language of her own body, and it helped lessen the sadistic grip her uncle and the church had on her.

Now at age twenty-three, she desired to learn a new language.

The Black Eagles had taken a rare night off, allowing themselves to enjoy time together between vicious battles. It was Bernadetta’s birthday, and once Dorothea and Ferdinand had heard that she never had a birthday party before, they decided to quickly fix that problem. They opted to hold the party in the greenhouse, where the plants that Bernadetta and Linhardt had grown during their long years of warfare grew, bringing life back to the besieged monastery. Caspar had personally volunteered to decorate the building, and the long strings of twine and paper ornaments were thrown haphazardly (but lovingly) across the beams. Petra decided to cook them a Brigidian feast of rice and fish, while Dorothea and Edelgard were in charge of the sweets and wine. Ferdinand and Hubert were sent to find presents for the girl among the diminished merchants, no doubt bickering the whole way about who had the better gift idea.

Now with all the Eagles gathered, the party was in full swing. Manuela and Dorothea sang to the birthday girl, causing her to turn bright red in embarrassment (but Edelgard could see the grateful tears shining in her eyes). Ferdinand presented her with her gifts, a beautiful purple cloak bought by Hubert, and a stuffed bear bought by Ferdinand. Ferdinand even made a slightly garish but affectionate birthday card for her.

“You guys didn’t have to do all this for me…” Bernadetta was on the brink of tears as she held her new bear tightly.

“Nonsense. You’re a crucial member of the Strike Force, and there is nothing more important than keeping our family happy.” Edelgard declared, which only made Bernadetta actually break into tears.

“F-Family?? I’m not sure I deserve—”

“We are a family!” Petra cheered, grabbing Linhardt by the shoulder, knocking their wine glasses together.

“Yea we are! The best family!” Caspar wrapped Bernadetta in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. The rest of the Eagles, even Hubert, smiled and laughed as they all joined in the revelry.

After much fun and many drinks, Edelgard found herself tucked away in the corner of the greenhouse, leaning on Dorothea’s shoulder as they watched their friends and the other soldiers dance to Manuela’s music deep into the night.

“Enjoying yourself?”

“It is nice to be together like this.” Edelgard murmured, seeing her friends’ genuine smiles for the first time in so long.

“I think so too.” Dorothea took another sip of her wine before placing it down beside her. Edelgard had made her way through a few more glasses of wine than usual, and Dorothea was happy that the emperor had finally let herself have fun for once. It had been a long five years, and they deserved to be happy from time to time.

“One day this war will come to an end, and I hope we can enjoy ourselves like this again.”

“I promise we will.” Dorothea said, brushing Edelgard cheek as they gazed into each other’s eyes.

Edelgard leaned up, capturing Dorothea in a passionate kiss. The older woman broke the kiss before they got too carried away, checking that no one around them had noticed their public affection. Luckily, it seemed like everyone was too enraptured by Ferdinand and Hubert’s slow dancing on the other side of the greenhouse.

“Let’s retire to your room.” Edelgard’s eyes were dark, and Dorothea was once again caught off guard by her forwardness.

They snuck away from the party, not wanting to worry the others with their early departure. Hubert was the only one who noticed the emperor leaving, and he gave her a quick nod of acknowledgement from across the room.

Dorothea led Edelgard to her bed once they got to the songstress’s chambers, holding her hand as they sat side by side. The crescent moon was shining through her window, leaving an ethereal shine upon Edelgard’s pale skin.

Dorothea reached forward to hold Edelgard’s face, caressing her cheek.

“What is it that you want to do?”

Edelgard’s eyes shone, piercing Dorothea right through her heart. She wanted. Goddess knew she wanted to do everything. But she still wasn’t ready to hand herself over just yet. However, there were still things she was curious about.

“I want to do much with you, Dorothea.” Edelgard admitted before continuing, “but it is still not the time for me yet.”

Dorothea looked slightly crestfallen, so Edelgard kissed her knuckles in reassurance.

“However, there is something I must ask of you, if you’ll allow me.”

“Anything, Edie.”

Dorothea played with a thread of the emperor’s hair, twisting it between her fingers. Edelgard looked down with a blush, gathering her courage for her request.

“It might be just a selfish desire, but I wish to see you.” Edelgard had always wondered if others felt the same sort of disconnect to their bodies as she did. Dorothea’s body, so strong, so resilient, had led her from the streets of Enbarr to the emperor’s right side, and Edelgard wanted to personally thank it for its perseverance. Did Dorothea have curves in all the same places? Did she have scars she wished to hide from the world? Was her skin unblemished or covered in the same freckles that sometimes appeared beneath her makeup after a long day? Would seeing Dorothea’s body help her on her own journey to vulnerability and openness? Edelgard’s curiosity and yearning melded together into a singular desire to see Dorothea as she truly was.

It took Dorothea a moment to understand Edelgard’s request, but instead of becoming embarrassed or flustered, she simply nodded her head before running her thumb across Edelgard’s bottom lip.

“I am all yours.”

Edelgard smiled bashfully before leaving a small kiss on Dorothea’s lips. She started with Dorothea’s jewelry, taking off her earrings and necklace and placing them on the bedside table. For each ring she removed, she kissed a fingertip. Next came her boots, carefully placing them beside the bed. Dorothea took such care in her clothing and appearance, and Edelgard wanted to respect her belongings. She positioned Dorothea so her back was facing her and laid a kiss on her neck before unhooking her corset. Next came her red dress, which she folded and lay on the dresser. Dorothea was left in only her maroon slip and leggings, a pink blush across her face as Edelgard stared.

“Even if we won’t be evenly undressed tonight, let’s take these off at least.” She pointed to Edelgard’s crown and blood red dress, which the emperor quickly removed with an embarrassed chuckle, leaving her in her own white chemise. She returned to her task, soon kneeling beside the bed, slowly pulling down Dorothea’s stockings before helping the woman pull her slip above her head. Dorothea was now left in only her small clothes, which Edelgard finally removed after another reassuring kiss.

She leaned back on the bed, her gaze taking in Dorothea’s form. It was so unlike her own body. Dorothea’s skin was tanner than she had realized, usually hidden under layers of makeup. She had a star map of freckles across her chest and down her arms, and Edelgard wanted to kiss every one of them. Her breasts were full and her nipples were pink, slightly hardened by the tension and chill in the air. Her stomach was leaner than Edelgard had hoped, all due to the lack of provisions they had at Garreg Mach during the war. Dorothea had been healthier in their academy days, no doubt due to the proper meals they received, ones she had been so deprived of as a child. Edelgard promised to herself that she would do anything to allow Dorothea to treat herself whatever she wanted to eat once this war was over. Her legs were long and powerful from long days of riding. The hair at the juncture of her legs was dark and fine, and Edelgard felt a shiver go down her back as she thought about reaching forward. She stopped herself, and instead brought her eyes back up to Dorothea’s own emerald ones. Her eyes were burning.

“Would you like to touch?”

“I would.” Edelgard admitted softly. Dorothea smiled, grasping her gloved hand and guiding to her breast. She let Edelgard feel her curves with no expectations. Edelgard traced her fingers across her chest, connecting the freckles like constellations. She counted each of Dorothea’s ribs, scratching her fingers across them as she promised to give Dorothea anything she desired. She left a kiss on the songstress’s hip, where a long-faded scar remained from a lance strike. Dorothea’s fingers, graceful and strong, intertwined with Edelgard’s own after she brushed her hands down her arms.

“You’re beautiful, Dorothea.”

“You’re not too bad yourself, Edie.” Dorothea giggled as they lay side by side. She wrapped her arm around Edelgard, drawing her closer. She wished she could feel skin on her skin, but this was close enough for her to be happy.

“Thank you for letting me do this.” Edelgard thought of all the other times she saw nude bodies in her lifetime. Dead soldiers, looted and bare, spread across the battlefield. Desperate old women on the streets of Enbarr, suffering from the greed of the nobility. Her friends in the infirmary, getting their bones resewn together. Her siblings being torn apart and put back together, piece by piece. Her own scarred skin reflecting in the unnatural light.

But now she had something new to associate with it. Warmth and love, gentle touches and graceful curves. Dorothea’s needy breathes as Edelgard lay kisses upon her neck.

“May I? You don’t have to do anything.” Dorothea’s eyes were lidded and desperate, and Edelgard nodded her head. As Edelgard lay her head on Dorothea’s chest, wrapped up in her embrace, the taller woman reached her other hand down to the juncture of her legs, relieving the pressure that had building there since Edelgard first met her gaze at the party.

Edelgard let herself just watch, the comfort of Dorothea’s embrace freeing her from her anxious feelings of obligation and pressure. The songstress just wanted her here with her, nothing more.

She could hear little puffs of air coming out from Dorothea’s pursed lips, a groan building in the back of her throat, which Edelgard felt through her kisses.

“Edie…”

Dorothea whimpered, and Edelgard felt herself heat up.

Maybe Edelgard wasn’t ready for her own body to be touched yet, but she wouldn’t let that come in the way of Dorothea’s pleasure. Her uncle’s grip on her slipped even more as she reached her hand back to Dorothea’s breast, circling her tip with gentle fingers.

“Just like that…”

Dorothea’s breathing was becoming more erratic, but she kept her voice low as to not scare Edelgard away.

Edelgard could feel the older woman’s muscles tightening underneath her hands, and she leaned up to capture Dorothea’s lips in a gentle kiss as the woman moaned, her hand working hard between her legs, imagining it was pale fingers pleasuring her.

“Edie… oh goddess…”

The songstress shook beneath her, and Edelgard couldn’t help but watch her blissful expression as she reached her peak. She kissed down her neck as Dorothea caught her breathe with her eyes closed. When their gazes finally met, they couldn’t help but giggle, overwhelmed with happiness as they spent these moments together. It was ridiculous really, an emperor and commoner finding ways to be intimate while avoiding the things that brought them pain. But Edelgard was so happy that Dorothea allowed her this, and her anxiety about her own body began to lessen as she watched how free and comfortable Dorothea was with her own, despite her own traumas. Edelgard lay in bed with her head propped up by her hand, watching Dorothea fuss around her room in the nude, bringing Edelgard some water and blowing out the candles. She looked so naturally beautiful.

“Thank you, Dorothea. For everything.”

Dorothea put the glass down on the bedside table before leaning down over her, kissing Edelgard on the nose.

“One day I hope we can do this comfortably together, but I’m still so proud of you, Edie.”

Edelgard felt a warm feeling bubbling in her chest as her eyes watered and had to bite back the three words she wanted to say above all else. Once they brought down the church and defeated her uncle, she would finally be free, body and soul. She looked forward to that day. But for now, she just settled for Dorothea’s warm embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> been thinking a lot about edelgard's relationship to her own body, and this came out. thank you for reading!


	4. A Crimson Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Black Eagles face Rhea in the final battle. A grand party is held in Enbarr. 
> 
> Day 4- Fighting

“Watch behind you!” Dorothea desperately yelled across the battlefield, watching Caspar narrowly avoid being sliced by an axe. He jumped forward before spinning his own axe into the chest of the attacker. Linhardt stood a few feet away, blasting any Pegasus knights that came too close. Dorothea could see Petra descending on her wyvern, taking out mages left and right with well-placed arrows. Bernadetta and Lysithea were on the other side of the fiery battlefield, staving off the relentless Church forces that never seemed to stop coming. She could see that Lysithea’s face was bleeding, and wished she was close enough to heal her. That wasn’t her mission though. Dorothea blasted her way forward, not even sparing a second glance to the Church soldiers she burnt alive. She didn’t want to see their faces, because she knew she would recognize more of them than she could handle. The basilica was still further ahead, and she knew she was running out of time.

The towering wooden doors of the basilica, once glowing with gold engraving, had been splinted and burnt by the great battle. Dorothea ran through them, dodging attacks from enemy mages before returning her own shots.

The nave was almost empty, except for the four tense figures at the end, near the altar. She could see Rhea’s unhinged figure, her eyes glowing green. Edelgard, Hubert, and Ferdinand stood before her with their weapons drawn, the three jewels of the empire ready to face down the oppressive dynasty of the church. Dorothea was in awe of their resolve, their burning eyes and grim expressions. These were the people that she would follow into the underworld if they asked her. She never trusted nobles growing up, knowing their true selves underneath their stuffy clothes and false smiles. They kicked her and spit into her outstretched hands as she begged for food. But these three... They went against their very blood, the blood of their families and the blood of the god-like beings that gave them the crests that ran red and hot within them. Edelgard led them all to a new dawn through a river of this blood, and they could finally see the other side. They just had to defeat Rhea. Dorothea wasn’t sure she deserved to stand next to them. Would her name join theirs in the annuals of history or would she fade into the shadows like countless commoners before her? Either way, it didn’t matter. She was needed right now by her friends, and she joined them at their side, black magic dancing on the edges of her fingers. A nod of acknowledgement from her emperor was all she needed to stand tall before their enemy.

Rhea’s form was shifting, scales ripping though her pale skin, green blood splattering across the ravaged pews. Claws tore throw the tips of her fingers, great wings emerging from the cocoon of her back. Her skin bubbled and popped, a gruesome imagine. This thing was truly monstrous, the true form of the church that had created a world where she was thrown onto the street and forced to watch her own mother wither in front of her just because she lacked a crest. A world where her disgusting father unknowingly flirted with his own daughter as he chased the youth and beauty of the Mystical Songstress like a dog in heat.

Rhea let out a monstrous growl, and its power almost pushed Dorothea over. Hubert grabbed her wrist, steadying both her legs and her heart, which felt like it would burst from fear.

“For Lady Edelgard.” He said to embolden her, but Dorothea could see he was steeling himself as well. Reminding himself why they were even here, fighting a creature that was only seen in storybooks and nightmares. Hubert might have been the most intimidating person in the Black Eagles, but Dorothea had figured him out early. He was difficult to win over, but to his friends, he was loyal to the death and compassionate in quiet ways. She’ll never be able to repay him for all the opportunities he gave her to spend time with Edelgard alone, redirecting any busybody generals or pompous nobles who wished to steal Edelgard’s time away with Dorothea.

“For Edie.” She nodded back to him, squeezing his hand before preparing her first strike.

Ferdinand was standing beside Hubert, the Spear of Assal ready to strike. His hands were trembling, but he still stood strong. Dorothea had thought so little of him when they were younger, but as the years passed, his true character shone through and Dorothea had grown to love and trust him as a dear friend. All his posturing had faded away, leaving behind an insecure, but loyal and caring man. He would do anything for his friends, living and dying by their side if he had to.

Dorothea had never lived for anyone but herself. She never had the luxury of self-sacrifice. But for Edelgard, she would do anything. Dying wasn’t as scary when you knew it could save the ones you love. Dorothea was ready to do anything for the woman beside her, who met her eyes with an intense gaze that told her everything she needed to know. No words were needed between them. Their love lived in subtle gestures and quiet moments, and no monster could break them apart. She hoped they could have more time together, but right now they had more pressing matters.

With Rhea’s transformation into a divine beast finished, the battle had begun. The dragon reared up on its hind legs, ready to scorch them to death with its fire.

“Hubert, now!”

The mage let out a spell that sounded like a canon, intentionally aiming it above Rhea, hitting the ceiling. The great stones of the basilica fell onto the dragon’s head, knocking it to the ground.

Ferdinand launched forward, stabbing Rhea in one of her eyes as Dorothea sent a lightning bolt at the other. The beast roared in pain as it was blinded. Edelgard jumped forward, ready to deliver a great blow to the beasts neck, but was soon battered back by its wings towards the open gash in the wall.

“Hubert!” Dorothea yelled out, but he acted even faster than that. He sent a warp spell behind Edelgard’s falling body, redirecting her to fall beside them rather than down the side of the mountain.

“Thank you, Hubert.” Edelgard wiped her face of blood, unshaken by her brief misjudgement. It was time for a second strategy. The beast was blinded, but its chaotically whirling claws and wings made it impossible to get too close. They all knew Edelgard was the only one strong enough to deliver the final blow and had to create an opening for her. Dorothea wished the other Black Eagles were with them, but they were too busy fighting the rest of the Church forces off. She was grateful for them, as they wouldn’t have had this opportunity to kill Rhea without them.

Rhea was wildly lashing out, trying to find the Eagles with her hearing and sense of smell now that she was blinded.

“ _I will flay you alive! I don’t need to see you to kill you!_ ” Her monstrous voice rang out as she swung her head back and forth, and Dorothea suddenly had an idea. Edelgard wouldn’t like it, but it was worth it. While the other three tried to approach Rhea’s left flank, Dorothea shot out Thoron to her right, drawing Rhea closer to the crumbling walls.

Edelgard’s eyes flashed, questioning what she was doing, but the emperor kept her mouth shut, not wanting to draw attention to their location. Dorothea ran further to the side, yelling out to Rhea and letting herself be found by the monster.

“ _You cannot escape me now_.” As Rhea violently approach Dorothea, her entire left flank was open to attack, but the other three were still too far away. Dorothea needed to buy them more time.

She let out a bursting Meteor, but Rhea moved fast enough that it only hit her right wing, burning and tear the thin skin apart. In retaliation, the monster let out a pained howl and launched a fire ball at Dorothea. She wasn’t fast enough to fully protect herself, and she could feel her hand in tremendous pain. The skin was blackened and cracked, but it was enough to protect the rest of her body. And it had bought enough time for Ferdinand to launch forward towards Rhea’s open maw.

She saw Rhea swipe forward with her claws, ripping into Ferdinand’s leg as he stabbed forward, lodging his spear into the roof of her mouth. He was launched backwards, but it was too late. The spear let out a flash of bright light as it ripped through Rhea’s mouth. Hubert was next, unleashing a Hades so powerful that Dorothea could feel the dark aura overtake her even meters away. It knocked Rhea off her legs, falling down the great stairs of the cathedral. Edelgard launched herself forward, raising Aymr above her head. In her injured delusion, time seemed to slow down, and it was almost like she was watching a great opera. _The great emperor raised his weapon high above him, the fading sun glinting on the blade as he pulled it down, ending his enemy’s life swiftly and cleanly_. This wasn’t as glorified or dignified as the operas. It was a bloody and gruesome death as Edelgard smashed her axe into Rhea’s neck, an inhuman shriek emerging from her unholy weapon. Rhea let out a final roar before blood overwhelmed her mouth and filled her lungs. It was done.

The four of them found themselves below the altar, the green blood of the monster dripping down from its split neck as its life drained from its eyes. Dorothea couldn’t feel her left hand, and Ferdinand was bleeding from his thigh. Edelgard was covered in deep scratches, and Hubert was holding his face gingerly, his brow split open. Despite their wounds, they were alive. They won. Edelgard threw Aymr to the ground, a loud thud resonating through the church as she stared at Rhea’s lifeless body. She was trembling.

Dorothea’s body moved before her mind even caught up, gathering Edelgard into her arms and holding tightly. She never wanted to let her go.

“We did it. We really did it.” Dorothea held her forehead to Edelgard’s, tears dripping down her cheeks as Edelgard cupped them. She used her own thumbs to brush Edelgard’s tears.

“I thought the girl who cried died long ago?”

Edelgard let out a watery laugh.

“Maybe she’s alive again. Maybe she’s alive for the very first time.”

Dorothea let out her own sobbing laugher, pulling Edelgard into a deeper hug. She didn’t care about the pain raging through her body, she just needed to feel Edelgard against her, alive and warm.

She could see Hubert tending to Ferdinand’s wound next to them, a deep-set sense of worry on his face that she thought he only reserved for his emperor. Ferdinand was crying too and pushed Hubert’s hands away from his wound to embrace the taller man and bring him closer. Hubert stiffened, but then allowed himself to be held. Ferdinand was saying things into Hubert’s ear, and even though she couldn’t hear what it was, she swore she could see a shine of tears in Hubert’s eyes. He would never admit it if she asked him, but maybe she wasn’t the only person who was going to get her happy ending.

“Guys!”

Dorothea heard a clamber at the large broken doors, and could see her friends— no, her family— running into the basilica. They all looked injured in one way or another, with bandages sloppily placed on wounds and body parts that looked broken. But they were all alive. Dorothea would have thanked the goddess if she hadn’t just killed her daughter.

Bernie ran straight to Edelgard and Dorothea, throwing her arms around the two women and weeping.

“You’re…You’re alive! You’re really alive!” Edelgard placed a comforting hand on Bernadetta’s back, helping her through her sobs. Dorothea soon felt herself being wrapped up in a bear hug by Caspar, who lifted her and spun her around, her tears turning into laughter as he cheered and cried with her. Petra was next, wrapping Hubert into a strong hug, and was even repaid with a small pat on the back by the embarrassed but grateful man. Linhardt rushed to Ferdinand’s side with Lysithea, the two of them stopping the profuse bleeding from his leg as they laughed and smiled.

They all gathered together, at the altar of the very church they set out to destroy, and Dorothea had never felt more at home. She had her family here.

The grand celebration was planned in two days’ time by the city of Enbarr. All were invited, rich and poor, solider and citizen. War orphans, widows, and injured veterans were specially invited to join the festivities and to dine at the same table as the emperor and her closest generals. Edelgard had promised the end of classism and knocking down the barriers between herself and the people of the street was her very first motion as the emperor of a united Fódlan. Dorothea has spent her whole day hurrying around the castle, organizing the musical performers and helping choose the flower bouquets for the tables. She hadn’t seen Edelgard since they first arrived back from the final battle, with the emperor being immediately whisked into meetings and counsels. Truthfully, all she wanted to do was to gather Edelgard in her arms and sleep for the rest of the week, but time was never on her side. She had helped Bernadetta finish the embroidery for her dress and was now running down to the greenhouse to find the roses for the vases that Manuela was putting together.

Her left hand was heavily bandaged, and she couldn’t feel much other than pain. Manuela said that the pain would eventually go away, but the blackened skin and the numbness would most likely be permanent. Dorothea didn’t care much about it. She would rather be disabled and alive than dead.

A flash of red in the corner of her eye drew her to the enclosed space behind the greenhouse, a place where most people avoided. Hubert had told her that this was where the royal family members were buried, while the past emperors were buried separately deep under the castle in the Crypt. That’s where Edelgard’s own father was laid to rest only a few years beforehand.

Dorothea found Edelgard kneeling beside an unmarked grave, a single blue flower in her hand. She noticed that almost a dozen graves nearby also held a single flower, but theirs were crimson. Edelgard must have been here for a while. Dorothea didn’t want to surprise the other woman, so she called out as she approached, her shoes crunching on the freshly fallen snow.

“Edie.”

“Hello, Dorothea.”

The woman didn’t turn around, but voice was warm enough for Dorothea to approach comfortably. The emperor’s eyes were locked on the grave in front of her, the newly set stone covered in fresh snowfall.

“My siblings are all buried here, side by side.” She gestured towards the graves with the crimson flowers. “I had always imagined I would be buried beside them as well. Where I belong.”

She took a steadying breath. Dorothea pretended she didn’t notice the tear stains on her collar.

“But fate had always meant for us to be apart. As emperor, I am not allowed to be buried with the others.”

“Couldn’t you change that?” Dorothea asks. In her mind, Edelgard could change anything. Surely this wasn’t as difficult as defeating a thousand-year-old church?

“I could. But to be truthful, I’m not sure I belong here anymore.”

“Why?”

“Everyone here was an innocent. A casualty of inexplicable cruelty. While I… I have blood on my hands. Enough blood to fill this graveyard five times over. My presence would dirty this place.”

“Oh, Edie…” Dorothea wasn’t sure what to say. She would be lying if she said she didn’t feel dirty too. Too many people died for her to ever feel clean again. So, she changed the subject.

“Who lies here?” Dorothea had a feeling she knew the answer, but she was still curious. Edelgard leaned forward to lay the blue flower across the stone. The nameplate was empty.

“My… my brother. Dimitri. My uncle decided that he would be buried here in Enbarr, rather than returning his body to Faerghus and risk him becoming a martyr.” Her voice was bitter and sharp. “But to be buried under an unmarked grave in a foreign country far away from your home and your people... It was nothing more than pure cruelty. “

Dorothea had heard much about Edelgard’s uncle and had even seen him leaving her meeting chambers a few times during the past five years. Hubert and Edelgard had always looked irate for hours after meeting with him, but Dorothea was always kept in the dark. She knew he wasn’t a good man, that was for certain. A dark aura leaked from him like slick oil, drowning anyone in his path.

“I had forgotten he was my brother. I didn’t remember until the very end. His father married my mother, but we had not been allowed to know the other exists. We only met by chance, without our relationship being known to us. I only knew him as a kind boy who danced with me and gave me a dagger as a parting gift. But over the years, he become a blurred memory.”

Edelgard clutched her hands into fists.

“My uncle… the experiments. They took everything from me. My siblings, my parents, my memories. Half of my life was turned to dust, and even now I cannot gather enough of it to see the past clearly.”

“Did Dimitri know? About your relationship?”

“His final words confirmed that he knew the whole time.”

“Oh.”

Dorothea hadn’t known the boy well. They ran in different circles back in Garreg Mach. He was nice enough when they ran into each other, but she did sense a wildness beneath his easy smiles. Whenever she spent time with Ingrid and Mercedes, she could see Dimitri’s eyes analyzing her motives from across the room. When she saw him again, his eyes shone like a beast’s, the kindness stolen from him by this horrible war and his misguided goals. They were nothing more than pawns, Dorothea thought. Her and Edelgard, Dimitri and the Kingdom. They were all pawns in a millennia-long game that Edelgard was forced to break with any violence necessary. She just wished the cruel circumstances hadn’t forced them to this point. But it was too late by now. Hundreds of years too late.

Edelgard finally turned to her, her back to the grave of the brother she almost had. The brother she had to kill.

“One day, I will have him returned to Faerghus. To be with his own people.”

Her eyes shone with resolve, but her expression soon broke, overwhelmed by a lifetime of sadness.

“Why didn’t he just tell me?” Edelgard let out a quiet sob, moving forward to cry into Dorothea’s shoulder. The emperor’s pain wasn’t a dramatic production or the thing of operas like Dorothea had always envisioned. It was just a small girl crying silent tears for the family that was taken from her. Dorothea whispered comforting words into Edelgard’s ear, wanting to be here for her like she always was for Dorothea. A love had long blossomed and grown between them, and nothing had felt more natural than embraced her beloved.

“Now that everything is over, maybe we can do something for your siblings. Perhaps a memorial?”

Edelgard drew her head back, her eyes steely but stained with tears.

“The real battle has just begun. My uncle is still out there with his followers. I will never let them hurt another child ever again. Lysithea and I…”

Dorothea leaned down and softly kissed the other woman, knowing where she was heading in her train of thought. She didn’t like to be reminded about Edelgard’s shortened life, at least not until she found a way to fix her beloved and Lysithea and return them to full health. Edelgard looked a bit shocked by the kiss, almost like she had forgotten how it felt. They hadn’t been alone for weeks due to the stress of the war, and Dorothea certainly wouldn’t let Edelgard run away now. They would be together, no matter how dangerous or short their future was.

“Let yourself have fun tonight, at least. Tomorrow, we can begin preparing for the next war.”

“I will try my best. For you.”

At the rollicking party Dorothea found herself holding Edelgard’s hand in the corner of the ballroom, watching their friends celebrate their lives and their new dawn. It still seemed like they were living in a dream. Dorothea never imagined that they all would have survived the war. They all carried trauma and scars that would never fade, but at least they could try to heal together. Ferdinand, leaning heavily on his crutches, danced with Bernadetta to Manuela’s singing. Hubert watched with an amused smile before Lysithea pushed sweets into his hands, forcing him to enjoy a cookie. Caspar and Linhardt were talking to Professor Hanneman at the dinner table, while Petra taught the orphan children how to do the traditional dances of her homeland.

“I should probably say something?” Edelgard asked nervously. Dorothea nodded, encouraging the emperor to step forward. Hubert noticed Edelgard stepping up to the podium, and with a curt “Excuse me,” the whole ballroom quieted down. Edelgard cleared her throat before starting.

“My friends. We have come so far. I wanted to say a few words, but I promise I’ll keep it brief.” Edelgard met Dorothea’s eyes, and Dorothea shook her head encouragingly.

“From that fated day in the Holy Tomb when you all chose to follow me on this crimson path, I have been indebted to you. I would have lost myself somewhere along the way, my revolution disintegrating into nothing more than a bloody campaign of revenge. But you all kept me walking on the path I set out on, leading me, holding my hand, or protecting my back.” Edelgard coughed quietly, trying not to feel overwhelmed. The shining faces in front of her, her beloved Eagles, gave her the strength to continue.

“The days ahead of us will not be easy. Peace is never easy. But with you all by my side, I know we can overcome any obstacles we face and emerge even stronger than before. Thank you, my friends.”

Applause rang out across the hall, both soldiers and citizens cheering on the Black Eagles, their leaders into the new future.

“Black Eagles forever!” Shouted Caspar, and the rest followed to moving forward to embrace their emperor. Edelgard had never felt more grateful for her life, with her friends surrounding her and her love holding her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! ive been very busy recently but im definitely going to finish all seven chapters! this chapter started to get a bit long, so i split it in half and will upload the second half as day 5. thank you for reading!


	5. [M] Really Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Dorothea is away with her opera troupe, her and Edelgard exchange letters
> 
> (cw for spicy letters and selflove)

It had been a long day of meetings with Petra and other leaders to discuss Fódlan’s new place in international politics. Edelgard was exhausted but felt like she had accomplished much with the Queen of Brigid at her side. Fódlan would open its borders and sign peace treaties with Dagda and Sreng. They would no longer force a policy of isolation that only created more problems.

Edelgard had finally retired to her chambers, and noticed a stack of letters on her desk, no doubt placed there by Hubert after he checked their contents.

A few of them were from pompous nobles that wished to court the emperor, and she tossed those into the fire. Hubert left them in the pile because he knew the small pleasure Edelgard gained from watching them burn. The rest were from a mix of generals, ministers, and foreign delegates, and she lay them to the side for later reading. The last letter, however, made her heart leap. It smelled like rose perfume, and the name “Edie” was written on the front in looping gold letters. It could only be from one person.

Dorothea was with her opera troupe on the other side of the empire, staging plays for the rebuilding cities and towns. She told the emperor that it felt like it was her purpose in life to bring happiness back to the common people. In secret, she was also doing important spy work for Hubert, helping him track down Edelgard’s uncle and Those Who Slither in the Dark. Dorothea was an extremely competent spy, her wide gossip circle and charming words giving her access to places even Hubert couldn’t access. Edelgard didn’t enjoy putting Dorothea in potential danger, but the songstress had been insistent on helping them. Edelgard could never say no to her, but that didn’t mean she didn’t worry about the other woman every moment of every day they were apart. It was a burden she was willing to carry. Dorothea sent Edelgard letters every few days, and it brought Edelgard true happiness to see a new one appear on her desk. “Life was all about the little pleasures,” Dorothea had once told her. Maybe she was right. Edelgard saved the letter for after her bath, gathering her soft sleeping gown around her as she finally settled into bed. She liked reading Dorothea’s letters right before bed, when she had no other distractions and could pretend that the other woman was laying right beside her. There was also less... dignified reasons. She blushed when recalling that Hubert reads all her letters in advance to make sure they didn’t contain any poisons or dark magic, but to be honest, even the most salacious prose that Dorothea could write to her could be no more embarrassing then when Edelgard spotted dark bruises on her retainer’s neck after an important “political meeting” with the Prime Minister.

There was a chance that the romantic letters contained some sort of secret message about Dorothea’s mission hidden amongst the words, but Edelgard was too lovestruck to even check. Their relationship, which had burned long and slow during the war, like a warm pleasant fire, now felt like an inferno. Edelgard wasn’t sure how much longer she could deny herself from being with Dorothea, and the distance only made her desire greater. She didn’t want to become complacent, and knowing her uncle, as soon as she admitted her love, there was a great chance he would do anything to destroy it. But the temptation grew every day, and the words in Dorothea’s letters didn’t help at all.

When she began her tour around the country a few months ago, her first letters were warm but formal, speaking of the countryside and how much she missed her daily tea with the emperor. As the weeks stretched out, both her and Edelgard’s letters became more desperate, and Edelgard was loath to even think about the words she had sent to the songstress. It was too embarrassing. Even with their relationship unconsummated or even labeled, the letters detailed intimate situations they wished to be in. Edelgard’s letters were a bit more repressed, but even she couldn’t hide her desire fully. Dorothea, on the other hand, was unafraid of telling the emperor of every single thing she wished to do to her and with her. In great detail. And even included a hello to Hubert at the end of her fantasies, which cause Edelgard to want to die of embarrassment right then and there. Dorothea knew exactly how to get under her skin, and Edelgard had to admire that.

The last letter Edelgard had sent was excruciating to think about. She had a few too many glasses of wine that night and was desperately missing the other woman’s presence in her bed. Thank the goddess that Hubert didn’t read her outgoing mail, or she could never show her face to him again. She wondered how Dorothea would respond to all that she laid bare.

Edelgard finally opened the letter, and her eyes quickly scanned over the graceful handwriting. As she absorbed the written words, she felt her face heat up and her stomach turn to liquid. Dorothea, as should be expected by now, had a silver tongue and knew just how to please Edelgard even from afar. Her words danced around Edelgard’s heart and pierced into her soul. Dorothea was a true artist and she knew how to draw the deepest dredges of pleasure from within Edelgard’s body with only her words. Edelgard knew she wouldn’t last long when Dorothea finally touched her. She started to carefully reread the letter from the beginning.

_My Emperor. My Edelgard. My Edie. How I long to be with you once again. The letter you sent aided in partially satisfying my cravings for your presence, but words will never be enough. With one hand upon my chest and another under my bed covers, I couldn’t help but pleasure myself to the imagery you painted for me in your letter. Remember the last time I touched myself in front of you? I pretended to be in that moment once again, with your lavender eyes watching my every move, your breath coming faster and faster against my neck as I reached my peak, as if we were one. My pleasure was your pleasure, and the inverse is just as true. I hope this letter can please you as well._

Edelgard let one of her hands travel down to her stomach, brushing against the waistband of her small clothes. If life was all about little pleasures, then this was her own private one.

_When we are reunited, our intimacies will no longer have to exist in your imagination, if you wish. This is in no means meant to pressure you, but rather to share my feelings with you. We will have all the time in the world to be together, I will make sure of it. I want to share your burden._

_Rather than spending your nights worrying about the state of the empire or whatever tedious work Hubert no doubt left on your desk, please imagine this instead while we are apart:_

Edelgard moved her hand up to her breast, gently squeezing before brushing her fingertips lightly against her peak. Her whole body shivered in anticipation.

_You, laid bare across your silken sheets. Your hair brushing against your bare breasts as I kiss down your neck. I trail my hands up and down your thighs before taking your rosy peak into my mouth and sucking. After lavishing one, I move my attention to the other, while my fingers play with the fine white hair at the apex of your thighs._

Edelgard continued to read as she teased her nipples, knowing they were her most sensitive area (which, unsurprisingly, Dorothea somehow knew too).

_With a final kiss to your breast, I turn you onto your stomach and kiss down your spine. Every one of your scars is beautiful in its own way, and I greet each with a kiss. As my fingers brush against your thighs, I see you dripping onto the sheets, desperate for my touch. With searching fingers, I brush against your core, feeling the wetness that gathered for me and me alone. Your body shivers as I press softly on your pearl. I begin with gentle touches, but you soon beg me to go harder, faster. I lift your hips so your rear points into the air, the emperor spread and vulnerable for me to do whatever I choose. I thrust two fingers deep inside you as you yelp with pleasure before quickly adding a third when you beg. I have a feeling you would enjoy begging. And I certainly would love acquiescing to your every wish. I praise you as you take my fingers, before placing my mouth on you._

Placing the letter on her bedside table, Edelgard moves so her forehead presses against her pillow, her knees digging into the sheets as she raises her ass into the air. She imagines Dorothea taking her from behind just as she had written, working her fingers deep into her core, wishing they belonged to the songstress.

She had already memorized the last few sentences of the letter, reciting them as she thrust her fingers inside. 

_You whine as I move faster and deeper, your pleasure dripping down your thighs as I taste you. I slip my other hand inside my own skirt, unable to resist._

She was so close.

_You let out a cry as you reach your peak, collapsing on the bed as the aftershocks run through you. I leave gentle kisses on your shoulder blade. My beloved Edie._

_My beloved._ Edelgard was hers. Dorothea hadn’t told Edelgard that she loved her yet—they hadn’t the time for that—but she didn’t really need to. Her actions and words were enough, and her love was what pushed Edelgard over the edge, coming with a cry into her pillow before collapsing back onto the bed. She was spent, her body pulsing with pleasure despite the empty spot beside her. Dorothea would be home soon, and Edelgard would finally give herself to her. Edelgard picked up the letter once again to read the final words.

_I hope you enjoyed my storytelling. After reading your last letter, I wasn’t sure if I could top it, but I tried my very best._

_But before I sign off, I just wanted to say something._

_I want to be with you, Edie. Once this tour finishes, I promise to never leave your side ever again. Let us be together, and you will never have to worry about those who wish to harm us. We can overcome anything together. Even death if we must._

_Yours,_

_Dorothea_

After catching her breath, Edelgard picked up her own paper and quill and began writing, not wanting to waste a moment of this afterglow. She had much to tell Dorothea and nothing would get in the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise double update! i wrote this alongside the last chapter so i thought i would upload it too since i took a long break between earlier chapters. thanks for almost 100 kudos!
> 
> I also just created a twitter account if you want to follow me for updates or just to talk about fire emblem!
> 
> https://twitter.com/anonymousclub2


	6. Weight, Lifted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edelgard faces her final burden.

“Edelgard?”

Dorothea strode hurriedly through the emperor’s chambers, searching for her lover. She hadn’t seen the other woman since the early afternoon, and she had been acting strange. It was now almost midnight, and Dorothea had searched almost every nook and cranny of Edelgard’s frequent haunts in the castle. She wished Hubert was here, or even Ferdinand, but they both had been in Fhirdiad for the past week, helping the former kingdom capital during its rebuilding efforts.

A great storm was brewing outside, and Dorothea could feel her worry growing as she searched through the empty castle. Only a few months ago it had felt so lively with all their friends and allies residing there, but now with so much to do around the empire, everyone had split up to fulfill their duties. Linhardt, Hanneman, and Lysithea were residing at Garreg Mach, trying desparately to find a procedure to remove crests. After their tour ended (and Dorothea’s spy reports for Hubert were satisfactory), Dorothea returned to Edelgard’s side at the capital, but Manuela stayed on with the Opera and created a program to support war orphans. Caspar and Bernie went to Brigid with Petra as ambassadors and trusted confidants for the fledgling Queen. Dorothea wasn’t opposed to having Edelgard to herself, but even with their friends gone, they barely had any time to spend with each other despite her earlier promises. Promises were harder to keep when the empire demanded constant attention like an unruly child. However, Edelgard had begun acting more and more distant in the past few weeks. Her eyes were full of distress. The emperor was obviously troubled, but Dorothea didn’t want to overstep. She hated herself for not just asking Edelgard what was wrong, but she still worried that Edelgard didn’t fully trust her with all her secrets.

And now, due to Dorothea’s poor judgement, the emperor was missing during a violent storm. She should have realized something was especially off this week. They kept separate chambers, as politics and succession talks kept them apart until Edelgard sorted out the new traditions of the empire and dealt with stuffy nobles who were fanatical about her marrying one of their idiot sons. No matter, Edelgard always woke Dorothea in the morning with a kiss, a cup of tea, and a news report. But she hadn’t done that since last Sunday. And at noon, a guard had come down to the orphanage to inform Dorothea that Edelgard wouldn’t be available for dinner either. She had assumed the emperor was stuck in especially tedious meetings with Sir Talks-a-lot or Lady Chews-with-her-mouth-open, or whatever useless noble was causing trouble that week. But she was wrong.

Dorothea ran across the cold stone floors to the only place she hadn’t managed to check yet. The guard looked at her with a strange expression as he swung open the large wooden door that led to the stables. _Did he look… guilty?_ Dorothea put that in the back of her mind as she ran under the sheltered walkway towards the stables, the rain pouring like waterfalls off of the parapets.

Beyond the rain in the dark, Dorothea could see a lone dark figure astride a horse riding towards the long winding path towards the forest. Was it an assassin? A kidnapper? A Slitherer? _No._

Dorothea would recognize that horse anywhere, even if its rider was carefully covered by a common soldier’s cloak.

“Edie, what the hell are you doing!” Dorothea ran out to the gate, disregarding that she was wearing nothing more than a night dress and slippers. Her feet fell into muddy puddles, and her hair whipped into her face in long wet strands. The winds stole her voice, but she shouted anyways. She couldn’t let Edie leave.

The figure only turned around when a winded Dorothea had reached the outer gate, stopping just before their horse was entering a strong gallop. Their head whipped around, alert to the shouts that fought through the raging storm.

“Dorothea!”

Edelgard pulled her water-logged hood back, revealing her messy white hair, completely unadorned beside a simple leather hair band. She didn’t dismount, but just simply looked at the out of breath woman standing a few metres away. Her face flashed the same guilt as the guard.

“Where in the goddess’s name are you going?”

Dorothea stumbled forward through the muddy path, grabbing the simple leather saddle that Edelgard sat upon. She wasn’t going to let Edelgard escape now that she found her. She needed an answer first. Her fingers desperately tightened around the leather.

The emperor looked ethereal as she sat high above Dorothea. Like a goddess. Her white hair was lit by the thunderbolts, and her lavender eyes pierced through the rain and fog like an arrow. The soft guilt in her expression had disappeared and was replaced by absolute fury and resolve. _If she is a goddess, it is the goddess of revenge._ This was the first time ever that Dorothea couldn’t recognize the woman she loved.

“I am going to end this. For once and for all.”

A thunderbolt landed close behind them, the sound overwhelming her body as she tried to make sense of this all.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“This is something I need to do alone, Dorothea.” Edelgard spoke to her like a stern parent talking to their irrational child.

It was infuriating and Dorothea definitely felt like stomping and throwing a tantrum like a petulant child. Instead she tightened her grip on the reins, willing Edelgard to step down.

“It is time to do away with my greatest burden.”

Dorothea was starting to understand what was going on. And it made her even more irate.

“Then why did you ask me, or even Hubert!”

“Only I can face my uncle. No one else needs to risk their life for me ever again.”

“No! You don’t get to do that to me!” Dorothea could feel frustrated tears welling in her eyes.

Edelgard’s determined expression cracked a tiny bit as she watched Dorothea tremble in the rain.

“What do you mean?” Now it was the emperor’s turn to ask questions.

“You don’t get to drag me through five years of hell and then run off to get yourself killed for no reason!”

“Dorothea—”

“I don’t care about whatever hero complex you dreamed up for yourself! I won’t let you die alone!”

Edelgard felt something shift within her. She could see clearly again, past the blood red vision of revenge that overcame her. She stepped down from her horse, and after a moment of consideration, embraced Dorothea in a desperate hug. She wasn’t sure when her tears began. She hoped her sobs were washed out with the thunder and her tears with the rain.

“I’m so sorry.”

“You’re never alone, Edelgard. Not as long as I’m here to chase you.”

Dorothea kissed Edelgard’s tear stained cheeks as they stood under the goddess’s deluge.

“We can do this. Together.”

* * *

They stood side by side at the altar of some sort of large mechanical contraption. The only light underground was from the eerily blue lamps, giving off an unnatural shine. Before them stood Arundel, but he had transformed into something demonic. Something pure evil. He called himself Thales. Behind him, hulking mechanical golems whirred and clicked, their blank eyes focused on the two women standing in opposition to their master. Agarthan mages surround them at all sides, silent hooded figures that were prepared to strike at any moment.

“I actually should thank you for coming, my dear niece. It makes everything so much easier for me.”

Dorothea and Edelgard prepared their attacks, ready to strike forward and end this, but were caught off-guard by Thales’s soundless spell. It caused slick tendrils of smoke to materialize around them, trapping their arms and legs upon the altar place, dragging them down to their knees.

Dorothea had promised to play along with whatever Edelgard had planned, but fear began to overtake her as Thales drew closer.

“I only needed a drop of Seiros’s blood for this, but I will gladly take as much as you offer me.”

“We will stop you.” Edelgard spat.

Thales’s grin became predatory. Like a beast that had finally trapped its next meal.

“You can try.”

The next spell he cast shot forward like a poison arrow, slashing Edelgard’s neck with surgical precision. Dorothea had tried to throw herself in the way but was held back by oily tendrils.

“Edelgard!”

The woman was unresponsive as she collapsed forward, the gash in her neck glowing with dark magic.

“The Fell King will rise again and destroy the blood of the goddess once and for all! The Agarthan people will reclaim what has always belonged to them! Fódlan is ours!”

As the blood trickled from Edelgard’s neck, it was siphoned by an invisible force, drawing it to long tracks in the floor. Dorothea could see it travel across the floor towards a large box that stood behind the altar. A great roar shook the box as the blood entered it. Dorothea was shaking with fear, and Thales only smiled.

“Nemesis! Rise!”

Thales’s full attention was directed towards the rumbling stone casket, and his restraint spell weakened. He didn’t feel threatened by Dorothea or Edelgard at all.

Dorothea leaned down to gather the injured woman in her arms, holding her tight. She was still breathing, but the blood trickling down her neck began to pool at their feet.

“Edie, oh goddess, Edie. Why did we come here?” She tried her best to hold back her sobs.

“It’s ok, my love. This is as it should be.” Edelgard mumbled weakly before moving her gaze to the wall across the room.

“You know what to do.”

Dorothea’s irrational side wanted to run, to steal Edelgard away and escape this awful reality. But all she could do now, as much as it pained her, was what Edelgard had planned. Dorothea nodded and wiped away her tears as the man laughed. She could do this.

She turned towards the cackling demon and forced her fractured voice to steady as she yelled towards him.

“For all your cold calculations, you never realized that Edelgard has something that you’ll never have.”

Thales look at her with a cruel smile and another deadly spell dancing on his fingertips. He was ready to do away with these bothersome women.

“And what would that be, street rat?

Dorothea concentrated as hard as she could with her love dying in her arms. A blazing red fury fueled her spell, and she could feel the volcanic rock form hundreds of metres above them. Like the sun growing on the horizon, Dorothea felt her energy expanding outward. When she reached her limit, she sent it crashing down.

“Friends.”

A violent explosion shook the entire underground cavern as the meteor crashed through the ceiling and wall, tearing through layers of sheer rock. Thales was knocked off balance, and the stone casket exploded.

With a loud bang, one of the giant mechanical golems behind Thales burst. Light poured into the underground city through the hole that was blown into the wall.

In another flash of purple light, the second golem exploded, and Dorothea could see a group of figures running towards them. Hubert and Lysithea’s hands were covered in smoky aura from their combined attacks on the golems, Petra and Caspar swung their weapons at the nearest Agarthans, slicing them down to create a path for the others. Bernie shot down the mechanical cannons that were pointed at them, and Linhardt rushed to Dorothea’s side with a healing spell ready for the emperor in her arms. Ferdinand stood in front of the risen Fell King, lance drawn as he faced Nemesis. The undead King of Liberation roared once again, his bloody red eyes blazing with animalistic wrath.

“Stay back foul beast!”

Hubert and Bernadetta joined his side, resolute as they protected Dorothea and Edelgard from further harm. Lysithea, Petra, and Caspar circled Thales, exchanging blows with the Agarthan mage.

“Just a moment more!” Linhardt said as he did his best to expel the dark magic from Edelgard’s neck wound and sew the flesh back together. The dark magic was like a festering infection, and every time it seemed that he was able to remove it fully, it would appear again. He was beginning to get frustrated, and it awoke Dorothea from her dazed state as she stared at the woman in her arms.

“Let me help!”

She moved her free hand to join the healer’s own and tried to conjure as much faith as she could in a world where they’ve already killed a god.

_Her faith in her friends. Her faith in Edelgard. Her faith in herself._

Finally, a trickle of white magic dripped from her hand. The dark magic emerged like pus from the wound, but with their combined might, Edelgard’s wound finally closed to a small nick.

The weakened woman’s eyes began to flicker once again, and Dorothea could see her strength returning. This might have been the first time ever Dorothea was ever grateful for Edelgard’s two crests, as any normal human would not have been able to recover from such a dark curse that quickly.

“Are you ok, Edie?”

“I am thanks to you, my love. Now let us finish this.”

Dorothea helped her to her feet just as they witnessed their friends landing brutal hits on the King of Liberation from across the cavern. Lysithea’s whole body burnt bright purple as she summoned the most powerful Luna that Dorothea had ever seen, which crashed down onto the King’s body, crushing it into the floor beneath them. He didn’t get back up.

Edelgard threw her ruined jacket off and went to retrieve Aymr from the ground. It was time for her to face Thales. Hubert rushed forward from the other side of the cavern after he saw Edelgard get back up, and sent a devastating dark curse towards Thales, trapping him with the same oily tendrils that he used on Dorothea and Edelgard earlier. All the Agarthans had been defeated in the great battle by the Black Eagles. Only the ringleader remained.

Edelgard approached the defeated man. He was on his knees, muttering and sniveling as he saw his own end quickly approaching.

Dorothea swore that the sight before her was right out of the opera. The emperor, clad in nothing more than bloodied commoners clothes, emitted an otherworldly aura of authority as she held her unholy weapon high in the air. Grovelling below her was the man—no, the beast—who had caused every single misery in her life and treated her as nothing more than a means to an end.

“The children of the goddess caused all of this! It was not us! We were only trying to survive in this cruel world!” The man begged for mercy like he hadn’t just tried to murder them all only moments before. Edelgard’s apathetic expression betrayed no such forgiveness.

“Your time is over, Thales. You shall pay for all the pain you have caused humanity. This is no longer a world for demons like you.”

Aymr rose high in the air, ready to swing down into its deadly arc that had already ended countless lives. Righteous fury blazed in Edelgard’s eyes and her grip tightened. It was finally the end.

“You betrayed my parents. You ripped open my siblings. You drove my brother to madness. You defiled my body. Now I shall take your life as payment.” Aymr’s ascent reached its peak, and Edelgard’s arm muscled tensed in preparation.

“Wait!” Dorothea yelled, rushing forward.

Edelgard looked at Dorothea in a dazed rage, caught off-guard by her outburst. She brought Aymr down slightly, but still looked apprehensive.

“Let me finish him instead, Edie.”

Edelgard was blinded by her rage and couldn’t understand why Dorothea would interrupt her.

“I need to kill him, Dorothea.”

Dorothea took a desperate breath before laying her hand on the emperor’s weapon.

“He’s spent your entire life trying to corrupt and control you. Don’t let his final breath stain you forever. Let us end him.”

“No!” Edelgard yelled out as she pulled back from Dorothea, before controlling her voice again.

“No…This is what I have been dreaming about for over a decade. To take revenge for my family. To kill the man who ripped them away from me.”

Dorothea carefully stepped forward again, a pleading expression on her face.

“But, Edie, don’t you see? The people need a leader who is always looking to the future, not held back by their past.”

“But—”

“I believe Dorothea is right, Lady Edelgard.” Hubert stepped forward from his position beside Ferdinand, laying a careful hand on Edelgard’s uninjured shoulder, steadying his trembling mistress.

“It would do you no good to bother yourself with the expiration of this pathetic creature. You cannot give into your bloodlust if you plan to lead our empire forward.”

“But---”

“They are correct, Edelgard. It is our duty as both your family and allies to support you on your path to a greater future. We shall take care of this horrid business.” Ferdinand stepped forward, standing side by side with Hubert and Dorothea as they faced the conflicted emperor. Dorothea couldn’t read Edelgard’s expression as she stared down at Thales. Dorothea understood her desire for revenge and secret hope that it would somehow give her closure and healing. But the songstress had been in war long enough to know that closure was nothing but a false myth from the storybooks. Nothing was that easy.

Wordlessly, Edelgard stepped back. She looked defeated and quite a bit faint, and Petra and Caspar went to support her before she could collapse.

Dorothea met Hubert’s eyes first, then Ferdinand’s, and both of their gazes told her what she needed to do now. Dorothea stepped forward, hands glowing as she drew forth the last remaining magic in her.

“Don’t kill me!” Thales tried to scramble up the stairs, but Hubert’s spell kept him in place. He may have called her a street rat, but he was the real vermin. One who spent his whole existence feeding off the misery of others. Like Edelgard said before, there was no such place for demons in their new world.

Dorothea didn’t even spare him a second glance before she shot the most powerful Thoron should could conjure right at him. She felt nothing when she killed him. Nothing but relief.

“Let’s go home.”

* * *

Dorothea found the emperor in her chambers, resting under Hubert’s watchful eye. He was not going to let Edelgard complete even a single page of paperwork until her neck injury fully healed, and Dorothea was for once grateful for his mother hen instincts.

After exchanging a surprisingly fond smile with Dorothea, Hubert put his pen and ink away and stood from his chair.

“I shall take my leave.” He bowed before leaving the room.

Dorothea waved to him before making her way to the emperor’s bed. Edelgard was sleeping soundly, and Dorothea couldn’t help but think about how much younger she looked as she slept. She sat in the chair next to the bed, and leaned forward to brush the silken white strands from Edelgard’s face before cupping her cheek. It had only been two days since they defeated Thales, but the world seemed to have been reborn. The burden that had weighed down on Edelgard’s shoulders ever since she emerged from the dungeons of Fhirdiad had finally lessened. Dorothea knew that Edelgard’s nightmares would never truly go away, just like her scars, but she still felt relief at knowing that they could start planning their future together now. She couldn’t remember the last time the emperor had slept this well, and she was content with just watching her for hours. However, it seemed like Edelgard had different plans, as she began to stir against Dorothea’s soft touch. The late morning sun lit her lavender eyes as they opened, and adoration filled them as she noticed who was beside her. She nuzzled her face into Dorothea’s hand like a content kitten.

“What time is it?” Her morning voice was scratchy and deep, and Dorothea had to stop herself from swooning over such small things.

“Eleven O’clock. I was just at a meeting with Ferdie before I came to see you.”

Edelgard’s eyes grew as she realized how late it was (well, late for her, at least) and she sat up quickly.

“Eleven already? I’ve wasted half of the day!” She groaned as Dorothea laughed.

“Just think of it as your vacation week. We just defeated a thousand-year-old villain! I think you deserve to at least sleep in.”

Edelgard huffed as she lay back down onto her pillows. Dorothea laughed again at her grumpiness.

“Don’t be so cranky! I’ll help you feel better.”

Dorothea leaned forward, kissing Edelgard softly on the lips. She thought about how much time they had now, to touch and comfort each other. They could finally be together, in every way.It seemed like a dream.

The other woman smiled tenderly as they parted, but her expression soon turned apprehensive.

“Dorothea, I have been thinking recently and… I would like to apologize.”

“Apologize? For what?”

Edelgard’s worried gaze flittered around the room, never laying on a single spot for more than a moment.

“I felt overwhelmed by my desire for revenge during the past few months. As soon as Hubert had determined the location of Shambala, my emotions blinded me completely. Even though I promised to do as you said, as soon as I saw his face, I couldn’t control myself.”

“I trusted you would make the right decision Edie. You always do in the end.” She said, brushing Edelgard’s cheek.

“Without you and our friends, I would have destroyed myself.”

“They were only there because they love and trust you. You are the leader we all wish to be.”

“Yes, but even so, I still lost control during the most critical moment. Thank you for stopping me.”

“Thank you for listening.”

Dorothea embraced Edelgard, pulling her close to her chest as she felt all her pain and tension from the past six years dissipate from her body. Her only constant source of hope in the darkest of times lay in her arms. She held onto Edelgard, promising to never let go.

“I love you, Edie.”

“I love you as well. You are my sun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for being so patient! with all the stuff going on in the world recently, ive just not been able to write as much as i hoped, but here is the new chapter! one more to go!!   
> (i will probably proofread and edit tomorrow but i just wanted to post it tonight! :) )

**Author's Note:**

> this story began as a series of edelthea week prompts, and it has morphed into a series of chronological vignettes of edelgard and dorothea's relationship through the war and afterwards.


End file.
